Arizona veterans gather to observe 77th anniversary of Pearl Harbor

Perry Vandell Arizona Republic Published 6:12 PM EST Dec 7, 2018 Jack Holder and his aircraft crew had just begun roll call when they heard a deafening explosion. A bomb had just fallen on the hangar next to theirs. It was the beginning of Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor. Then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt would call the day of the attack, Dec. 7, 1941, a date that would live in infamy. Arizona veterans and their families gathered at Wesley Bolin Plaza near the Arizona state Capitol on Friday morning — 77 years later — to observe the event that would make the United States join the Allied Forces in World War II. Dozens of people laid wreaths by the anchor of the USS Arizona as Wanda Wright, director of Arizona Department of Veterans’ Services, announced the military and veteran organizations they represented. ‘True American heroes in every way’ Gov. Doug Ducey took to the podium and thanked the veterans before him for everything they had done. “I just want to say what an honor it is for me to be among all these heroes on this beautiful Arizona day and how thankful I am for your sacrifice and service to our nation,” said to the crowd. Ducey spoke of how the courage and mettle of America’s soldiers helped make one of country’s bleakest days a little brighter. “Today, it is with great humility, that we gather at the anchor of the battleship USS Arizona to remember each of these lives that were taken from us,” Ducey said. “Dec. 7th, 1941,… [Read full story]